Method For Integrated Circuit Patterning

ABSTRACT

A method of forming a target pattern includes forming a plurality of lines over a substrate with a first mask and forming a spacer layer over the substrate, over the plurality of lines, and onto sidewalls of the plurality of lines. The method further includes removing at least a portion of the spacer layer to expose the plurality of lines and the substrate. The method further includes shrinking the spacer layer disposed onto the sidewalls of the plurality of lines and removing the plurality of lines thereby resulting in a patterned spacer layer over the substrate.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experiencedexponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and designhave produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller andmore complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of ICevolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnecteddevices per chip area) has generally increased while geometry size(i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using afabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generallyprovides benefits by increasing production efficiency and loweringassociated costs. Such scaling down has also increased the complexity ofprocessing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized,similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isemphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in theindustry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, thedimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased orreduced for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method of forming a target pattern or deviceon a substrate for implementing one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary substrate and a target pattern to beformed thereon according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3 a-9 b are top and cross sectional views of forming the targetpattern of FIG. 2 according to the method of FIG. 1, in accordance withan embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the disclosure.Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below tosimplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examplesand are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosuremay repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples.This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and doesnot in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodimentsand/or configurations discussed. Moreover, the performance of a firstprocess before a second process in the description that follows mayinclude embodiments in which the second process is performed immediatelyafter the first process, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional processes may be performed between the first and secondprocesses. Various features may be arbitrarily drawn in different scalesfor the sake of simplicity and clarity. Furthermore, the formation of afirst feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over,elements described as being “below” or “beneath” other elements orfeatures would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

The present disclosure is generally related to using spacer techniquesto improve integrated circuit pattern density in advanced process nodes,such as 14 nanometer (nm), 10 nm, and so on, with 193 nm immersionlithography or other suitable lithographic technologies.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a flow chart of a method 100 for forming atarget pattern or device according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure is illustrated. Additional operations can be provided before,during, and after the method 100, and some operations described can bereplaced, eliminated, or moved around for additional embodiments of themethod. The method 100 will be further described below. The method 100is an example, and is not intended to limit the present disclosurebeyond what is explicitly recited in the claims.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary target pattern 200. The target pattern 200includes features 204 a-c and 206 a-b. For the sake of example, thefeatures 204 a-c and 206 a-b are substantially rectangular trenches withthe same dimensions, W in X direction and L in Y direction. They arearranged in a row with a pitch P. The target pattern 200 may be used toform various features of an integrated circuit (IC). In an embodiment,the target pattern 200 is used to form metal lines in a multilayerinterconnection structure. In another embodiment, the target pattern 200is used to form a plurality of trenches in the semiconductor substratefor shallow trench isolation (STI) features. As the density ofintegrated circuits increases, some features may be too close togetherfor the resolution of a mask (or photo-mask). To overcome this issue, aspacer self-align patterning technique may be used. In the presentembodiment, the features 204 a-c are to be formed with a mask (or photomask), while the features 206 a-b are to be formed with spacer features.

In the following discussion, the method 100 (FIG. 1) is described inconjunction with FIGS. 3 a-9 b to show how the target pattern 200 isformed using the mask and the spacer features according to variousaspects of the present disclosure. In each of the FIGS. 3 a-9 b, thefigure designated with the suffix “a” (e.g., FIG. 3 a) includes a dottedline that defines cross sectional views for the figures designated withthe suffix “b,” “c,” and so on (e.g., FIG. 3 b).

The method 100 (FIG. 1) begins at operation 102 by providing a substrate202. Referring to FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, in the present embodiment, thesubstrate 202 includes material layers 214 and 216. The material layers214 and 216 may use amorphous silicon (a-Si), silicon oxide, siliconnitride (SiN), nitrogen-free anti-reflection coating (NFARC), spin-onglass (SOG), titanium nitride, or other suitable material orcomposition. The material layers 214 and 216 may be formed by a varietyof processes. For example, the material layer 214 may be formed overanother substrate by a procedure such as deposition. In an embodiment,the material layer 216 may include silicon oxide formed by thermaloxidation. In an embodiment, the material layer 216 may include SiNformed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). For example, the materiallayer 216 may be formed by CVD using chemicals includingHexachlorodisilane (HCD or Si₂Cl₆), Dichlorosilane (DCS or SiH₂Cl₂),Bis(TertiaryButylAmino) Silane (BTBAS or C₈H₂₂N₂Si) and Disilane (DS orSi₂H₆). The material layers 214 and 216 may be formed by a similar or adifferent procedure. The exemplary compositions of the material layers214 and 216 aforementioned do not limit the inventive scope of thepresent disclosure.

The method 100 (FIG. 1) proceeds to operation 104 by forming mandrellines over the substrate 202 with the mask through a suitable process,such as a process including a photolithography process. Referring toFIGS. 4 a and 4 b, mandrel lines 218 a-c are formed over the substrate202. The mandrel lines 218 a-c are defined in the mask corresponding tothe features 204 a-c (FIG. 2) respectively with a pitch P_(m).

In an embodiment, the mandrel lines 218 a-c are formed in a negative orpositive resist (or photoresist) material in a photolithography process.An exemplary photolithography process includes coating a negative resistlayer 218 over the material layer 216, soft baking the resist layer 218,and exposing the resist layer 218 to a deep ultraviolet (DUV) lightusing the mask. The process further includes post-exposure baking (PEB),developing, and hard baking thereby removing unexposed portions of theresist layer 218 and leaving exposed portions of resist layer 218 on thesubstrate 202 as the mandrel lines 218 a-c. In another embodiment, themandrel lines 218 a-c may be formed with unexposed portions of apositive resist material layer in a similar photolithography process.

In some cases, the features in the mask may be larger than thecorresponding features of the target pattern 200 (FIG. 2). In suchcases, the operation 104 may further include a trimming process to trimthe dimensions of features 218 a-c in both X and Y directions.

When the features 218 a-c are formed in a photolithography process, afooting issue may occur. As illustrated in FIG. 4 b, at the bottom ofthe mandrel line 218 a, the resist material 218 forms a blunt angle,rather than a right angle, with the material layer 216. One reason forthe footing issue may be that the resist material 218 may adhere to thematerial layer 216 and thus becomes difficult to remove. Another reasonmay be that the pitch P_(m) is very small while the mandrel lines 218a-c are relatively tall such that it is difficult for the resistdeveloping solutions to reach the bottom of the mandrel lines 218 a-c.This issue may become more acute when the integrated circuit patterndensity continues to increase in advanced process nodes, such as 14 nm,10 nm, and beyond.

The method 100 (FIG. 1) proceeds to operation 106 by forming a spacerlayer 220 over the substrate 202 and over and around the mandrel lines218 a-c. Referring to FIGS. 5 a and 5 b, the spacer layer 220 is formedover the substrate 202, more specifically, over the material layer 216.The spacer layer 220 is also formed over the mandrel lines 218 a-c andonto the sidewalls of the mandrel lines 218 a-c. The spacer layer 220has a first thickness T₁. The spacer layer 220 includes one or morematerial or composition different from the material layer 216 and themandrel lines 218 a-c. In an embodiment, the spacer layer 220 mayinclude a dielectric material, such as titanium nitride, siliconnitride, silicon oxide, or titanium oxide. The spacer layer 220 may beformed by a suitable process, such as a deposition process. For example,the deposition process includes a chemical vapor deposition (CVD)process or a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. As illustrated inFIG. 5 b, partly due to the footing issue aforementioned, the spacermaterial disposed over the material layer 216 forms blunt angles, ratherthan right angles, with the spacer material disposed onto the sidewallsof the features 218 a-c. In some cases, the deposition of the spacerlayer 220 may exacerbate the footing issue.

The method 100 (FIG. 1) proceeds to operation 108 by etching the spacerlayer 220 to expose the mandrel lines 218 a-c and the material layer216. Referring to FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, the top surfaces of the mandrellines 218 a-c are exposed by this etching process and the spacermaterial disposed over the material layer 216 is also partially removed,providing spacer features 220 a-c on the sidewalls of the mandrel lines218 a-c respectively. Two trenches 228 a and 228 b are formed betweenthe spacer features 220 a-c with a dimension S₁ in X direction. In anembodiment, the process of etching the spacer layer 220 includes ananisotropic etch such as a dry (or plasma) etch. For example, a dryetching process may implement an oxygen-containing gas, afluorine-containing gas (e.g., CF₄, SF₆, CH₂F₂, CHF₃, and/or C₂F₆), achlorine-containing gas (e.g., Cl₂, CHCl₃, CCl₄, and/or BCl₃), abromine-containing gas (e.g., HBr and/or CHBR₃), an iodine-containinggas, other suitable gases and/or plasmas, and/or combinations thereof.

Also illustrated in FIG. 6 a in dotted lines are the target features 204a-c and 206 a-b of FIG. 2. The target features 204 a-c, to be formed atwhere the features 218 a-c reside, will have desired dimensions.However, the target features 206 a-b, to be formed into the trenches 228a-b, will have a substantially smaller dimension (S₁) than the desireddimension W in X direction. This is partially due to the footing issueaforementioned (FIGS. 4 b and 5 b). Moreover, the dry etching processapplied to the spacer layer 220 may have different etching rates at thetop and bottom of the spacer features. In some instances, particularlywith dense spacer features, the dry etching process may remove morespacer material at the top than at the bottom of the spacer features.This further exacerbates the footing issue, resulting in the dimensionS₁ substantially smaller than the target dimension W.

The method 100 (FIG. 1) proceeds to operation 110 by shrinking thespacer features 220 a-c in order to increase the dimension of thetrenches 228 a-b in X direction to match the dimension W. In the presentembodiment, a wet cleaning process is applied to the spacer features 220a-c, which reduces the dimensions of the spacer features 220 a-c withoutmaterially altering the mandrel lines 218 a-c and the material layer216.

Referring to FIGS. 7 a and 7 b, for the sake of convenience, the reducedspacer features are denoted 232 a-c while portions of the outer surfacesof the original spacer features 220 a-c are shown in dotted lines forcomparison (FIG. 7 b). As a result of the wet cleaning process, thetrenches 228 a-b are expanded to substantially matching the targetfeatures 206 a-b. In the present embodiment, the wet cleaning processapplies a cleaning solution selectively tuned to partially remove thespacer material while the mandrel lines 218 a-c and the material layer216 remain substantially unaltered. In an embodiment where the spacermaterial uses titanium nitride or titanium oxide, the wet cleaningprocess applies either an acid solution with a pH in the range of 3 to6, such as hydrofluoric acid (HF), or a basic solution with a pH in therange of 8 to 10, such as SC1 solution (e.g., a 1:1:5 mixture ofammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and water (H₂O)).Either the HF or the SC1 solution provides an etching rate for theselected spacer material at about 10 to 30 angstroms per minute in atemperature below 60 degrees Celsius, such as a temperature betweenabout 25 degrees Celsius and 60 degrees Celsius. A higher etching rateis achieved with a higher temperature, such as between about 60 degreesCelsius and 80 degrees Celsius. In another embodiment where the spacermaterial uses silicon nitride, the wet cleaning process applies an acidsolution with a pH in the range of 3 to 6, such as HF or phosphoric acid(H₂PO₄ ⁻), which provides an etching rate for the selected spacermaterial at about 10 to 20 angstroms per minute in a temperature below60 degrees Celsius, such as a temperature between about 25 degreesCelsius and 60 degrees Celsius. A higher etching rate is achieved with ahigher temperature, such as between about 60 degrees Celsius and 80degrees Celsius. In addition to shrinking the spacer features 220 a-c,the wet cleaning process provides additional benefits of removing fromthe material layer 216 any residue resulted from the spacer etchingprocess.

The method 100 (FIG. 1) proceeds to operation 112 by removing themandrel lines 218 a-c. Referring to FIGS. 8 a and 8 b, the mandrel lines218 a-c are removed. The spacer features 232 a-c define five trenches,204 a-c and 206 a-b, over the substrate 202. The mandrel lines 218 a-care removed using a process tuned to selectively remove the mandrellines 218 a-c while the spacer features 232 a-c remain. In anembodiment, the mandrel lines 218 a-c use a resist material and theprocess of removing the mandrel lines 218 a-c uses wet stripping orplasma ashing.

The method 100 (FIG. 1) proceeds to operation 114 by transferring thepattern from the spacer features 232 a-c to the material layer 216 usinga suitable process such as an anistropic etching process. The spacerfeatures 232 a-c are thereafter removed, resulting in a pattern formedin the material layer 216 (FIGS. 9 a and 9 b), matching the targetpattern 200 (FIG. 2).

The method 100 (FIG. 1) proceeds to operation 116 to form a finalpattern or device with the patterned material layer 216. In anembodiment, a target pattern is to be formed as metal lines in amultilayer interconnection structure. For example, the metal lines maybe formed in an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer. In such a case, theoperation 116 forms a plurality of trenches in the ILD layer using thepatterned material layer 216; fills the trenches with a conductivematerial, such as a metal; and polishes the conductive material using aprocess such as chemical mechanical polishing to expose the patternedILD layer, thereby forming the metal lines in the ILD layer.

In another embodiment, the operation 116 forms fin field effecttransistor (FinFET) structures on a semiconductor substrate using thepatterned material layer 216. In this embodiment, the operation 116forms a plurality of trenches in the semiconductor substrate. Shallowtrench isolation (STI) features are further formed in the trenches by aprocedure that includes deposition to fill the trenches with adielectric material and polishing (such as CMP) to remove excessivedielectric material and to planarize the top surface of thesemiconductor substrate. Thereafter, a selective etch process is appliedto the dielectric material to recess the STI features, thereby formingfin-like active regions.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that those ofordinary skill in the art may better understand the aspects of thepresent disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art should appreciatethat they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis fordesigning or modifying other processes and structures for carrying outthe same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of theembodiments introduced herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art shouldalso realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from thespirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they may makevarious changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

In one exemplary aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a methodof forming a target pattern for an integrated circuit (IC). The methodincludes forming a plurality of lines over a substrate with a first maskand forming a spacer layer over the substrate, over the plurality oflines, and onto sidewalls of the plurality of lines. The method furtherincludes removing at least a portion of the spacer layer to expose theplurality of lines and the substrate. The method further includesshrinking the spacer layer disposed onto the sidewalls of the pluralityof lines and removing the plurality of lines thereby providing apatterned spacer layer over the substrate.

In another exemplary aspect, the present disclosure is directed to amethod of forming a target pattern for an integrated circuit (IC). Themethod includes patterning a substrate with a first mask thereby forminga first plurality of features and forming a spacer layer over thesubstrate and over sidewalls of the first plurality of features. Themethod further includes anisotropically etching at least a portion ofthe spacer layer to expose the first plurality of features and to exposethe substrate. The method further includes cleaning the spacer layerwith a chemical solution to reduce a thickness of the spacer layer in acontrolled manner and removing the first plurality of featuresthereafter.

In yet another exemplary aspect, the present disclosure is directed to amethod of forming a pattern on a substrate. The method includes formingtwo lines over the substrate using a photolithograph process, the twolines having a first dimension in a first direction. The method furtherincludes depositing a first material over the substrate, over the twolines and onto sidewalls of the two lines. The method further includesperforming an anisotropic etching process to the first material toexpose the substrate and the two lines. The method further includesperforming a wet cleaning process to reduce a thickness of the firstmaterial such that the first material disposed onto the sidewalls of thetwo lines are spaced away by a second dimension in the first direction,and thereafter removing the two lines.

1. A method of forming a target pattern for an integrated circuit, themethod comprising: forming a plurality of lines over a substrate with afirst mask; forming a spacer layer over the substrate, over theplurality of lines, and onto sidewalls of the plurality of lines;removing at least a portion of the spacer layer to expose the pluralityof lines and the substrate; shrinking the spacer layer disposed onto thesidewalls of the plurality of lines, wherein the shrinking of the spacerlayer is isotropic and includes a wet process using a solutionselectively tuned to remove a portion of the spacer layer while theplurality of lines and the substrate remain substantially unaltered; andafter the shrinking of the spacer layer, removing the plurality of linesthereby providing a patterned spacer layer over the substrate.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: etching the substrate using atleast the patterned spacer layer as an etch mask; and after etching,removing the spacer layer.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the formingthe plurality of lines includes: forming a resist layer over thesubstrate; and patterning the resist layer with the first mask.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the removing at least a portion of the spacerlayer includes an anisotropic etching process.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein the anisotropic etching process includes dry etching.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the spacer layer includes titanium nitride,titanium oxide, or silicon nitride; and the wet process useshydrofluoric acid (HF).
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein: the spacerlayer includes titanium nitride or titanium oxide; and the wet cleaningprocess uses SC1 solution.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the SC1solution includes a 1:1:5 mixture of ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH),hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and water (H₂O).
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the shrinking the spacer layer is performed at a temperaturebetween about 25 and about 80 degrees Celsius.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein: the spacer layer includes silicon nitride; and the wetprocess uses phosphoric acid (H₂PO₄ ⁻).
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the shrinking the spacer layer is performed at a temperaturebetween about 25 and about 80 degrees Celsius.
 12. The method of claim1, further comprising: trimming the plurality of lines before theforming the spacer layer.
 13. A method of forming a target pattern foran integrated circuit, the method comprising: patterning a substratewith a first mask thereby forming a first plurality of features; forminga spacer layer over the substrate and over sidewalls of the firstplurality of features; anisotropically etching at least a portion of thespacer layer to expose the first plurality of features and to expose thesubstrate; cleaning the spacer layer with a chemical solution toisotropically reduce a thickness of the spacer layer while keeping theplurality of features and the substrate substantially unaltered; andafter the cleaning of the spacer layer, removing the first plurality offeatures.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein: the spacer layer usestitanium nitride or titanium oxide; and the chemical solution useshydrofluoric acid (HF) or SC1 solution.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the thickness of the spacer layer is reduced with an etchingrate about 10 to 30 angstroms per minute.
 16. The method of claim 13,wherein: the spacer layer uses silicon nitride; and the chemicalsolution uses hydrofluoric acid (HF) or phosphoric acid (H₂PO₄ ⁻). 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the thickness of the spacer layer isreduced with an etching rate about 10 to 30 angstroms per minute.
 18. Amethod comprising: forming two lines over a substrate using aphotolithograph process, the two lines having a first dimension in afirst direction; depositing a first material over the substrate, overthe two lines and onto sidewalls of the two lines; performing ananisotropic etching process to the first material to expose thesubstrate and the two lines; performing a wet cleaning process to thefirst material to reduce a thickness of the first material such that thefirst material disposed onto the sidewalls of the two lines are spacedaway by a second dimension in the first direction; and after theperforming of the wet cleaning process, removing the two lines.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, wherein: the first material uses a dielectricmaterial containing metal; the wet cleaning process uses a chemicalsolution with a pH about 3 to 6 or with a pH about 8 to 10; and the wetcleaning process reduces the thickness of the first material with anetching rate about 10 to 30 angstroms per minute.
 20. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the first dimension and the second dimension are aboutthe same.